


Night Kill

by Jacie



Category: NCIS
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Case Fic, M/M, Murder, Shooting, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27047866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie
Summary: The team is called to the late-night murder of a petty officer. As they are investigating her death, another petty officer is killed. The team scrambles to close the two cases before a third murder takes place.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs
Comments: 10
Kudos: 81
Collections: 2020 NCIS Big Bang, Jacie's NCIS Challenge stories, NCIS Bang Challenge





	1. After Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:  
> -Murder investigation, similar to series level (dead bodies depicted, murders discussed).
> 
> Author Notes:  
> This story is a casefic and there is little focus on the Gibbs/DiNozzo relationship. It is mentioned that they do live together. 
> 
> Acknowledgments:  
> Many thanks to Hinky_Hippo for her wonderful artwork!  
> Many thanks to Naemi as beta for this one. Any remaining errors are mine alone.  
> This story was written for the 2020 NCIS Big Bang/Multi-Bang. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Not true, I made it all up, no harm intended, etc. This story is not intended to depict realistic scenarios and was written for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> © 2020 by Jacie
> 
>   
> 

Even under the darkened sky, it was still warm and humid. Shouting cut through the otherwise mostly quiet night, just after midnight. The yelling wasn’t anything new to the neighbors, and would start and stop every few minutes. Things usually settled down eventually. 

A few cars came and went, both on the street and the parking lot of the apartment complex. Nobody tried to stop the loud arguing of the couple, even when the man roughly grabbed the woman’s wrist in an attempt to get her to listen to his words. It wasn’t their business. Was it? Another couple pulled into the lot and parked at the other end specifically to avoid the sparring couple. 

It wasn’t until three gunshots were fired that anyone really paid attention.

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

“Not a case! Please tell me that’s not a case,” groaned Tony as he heard Gibbs’ cell phone ringing at two in the morning.

Reaching over to the nightstand, Gibbs grabbed his phone and flipped it open. “Gibbs,” he answered sharply. “Uh-huh. Yeah. On my way.” Rolling over, he swatted Tony’s bare ass. “Murder, off -base. Grab your gear and I’ll meet you there.”

Clutching his pillow tightly, Tony quickly covered his face in an attempt to block the light from the nightstand lamp on Gibbs’ side of the bed. “Too bright,” he grumbled. 

After grabbing the pillow and tossing it across the room, Gibbs leaned in and kissed Tony. “Work is calling.”

“Take a message.”

Grasping hold of one of Tony’s wrists, Gibbs pulled him into a sitting position. “Time to wake up and go to work, Skippy. Let’s roll.”

Tony grudgingly got to his feet and walked to the bathroom. Since they were in a rush, the pair shared a quick shower, then crowded around the single sink to hurriedly brush their teeth and shave.

Gibbs got dressed while Tony was still in the bathroom taming his hair. “See you at the scene,” Gibbs called on his way out the down the stairs. “Bring the truck.”

Tony rubbed his eyes. “Too damn early,” he muttered to his reflection.

Once he was dressed and starting to think straight, Tony saw the piece of paper Gibbs had left on the bed. It had an address written on it. Tony smiled. If Gibbs had merely told him the address, he was so sleepy he would have had trouble remembering it correctly. Clutching the note in his hand, he raced down the stairs and out to his car. He always hated being the last one to the scene and having to go to the Navy Yard to pick up the MCRT truck virtually guaranteed the others would beat him to the crime scene. At least he would get to cruise through the streets with his lights flashing once he was driving the work vehicle.

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

To Tony’s surprise, he pulled up to see Tim’s car in the lot at the Navy Yard. Choosing a nearby spot, Tony smoothly parked as Tim emerged from his own vehicle.

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked.

“Gibbs called and said he’d sent you to get the truck. The Navy Yard was closer to my apartment, so I figured I’d meet up with you and save my gas.” Lifting up his arm, Tim offered a cup to Tony. “I stopped and bought a couple of cups of coffee. I thought we could both use it on this one.”

Twisting his wrist, Tony saw it was nearly three in the morning. “Thanks, Tim,” he said as he rubbed his eyes and accepted the cup. Inhaling deeply, Tony sniffed the pleasant aroma of the mocha brew.

Minutes later, they were in the truck and on their way to the scene.

“Do you know what the case is?” Tim asked.

“All I heard was murder off-base. No idea other than that. But we’ll be there soon enough.”

It was still dark when they arrived at the scene. Tony yawned deeply as a police officer waved him into the lot and motioned for him to park near the crime scene’s barricade tape. He recognized Bishop’s and Gibbs’ pickup trucks already parked nearby.

Even at the early hour that it was, several neighbors were milling about in the parking lot. Some were speaking to police officers. Tony used his phone to let Gibbs know they had arrived. Gibbs barked out an apartment number and hung up abruptly. 

Tony looked at the building and noticed a window that appeared to have been shot through, with the light on inside. “Ground floor. Has to be that one. Looks like a bullet or two went through the glass.”

“But which way were they headed?” Tim asked as he opened the back of the truck.

“Must be going outside to inside,” Tony said confidently. “If it was the other way around, the body would be out here.”

“Good point.”

The pair noticed the police officers had some places blocked off and had corralled the spectators and neighbors in an area away from the bullet’s trajectory. “Must have the whole shift of cops here,” said Tim as they grabbed their gear and began lugging it across the lot.

They were nearly to the door of the building when they saw Ducky and Jimmy arrive. 

“I guess that means there is definitely a body inside,” quipped Tony as he led the way through the exterior door.

The security door was being held open for them by a police officer. Another officer stood at the door to the residence. Tony and Tim flashed their badges and passed without a word. 

Gibbs waved them in. “DiNozzo, shoot and sketch. McGee, bag and tag. Bishop, go outside and interview the neighbors. See if you can find any good eyewitnesses.”

Between the sofa and television was the body of a beautiful woman. She’d been shot once in the head. Tony eyed the wall behind her and then nudged McGee before nodding toward two more bullet holes in the wall. “At least three shots,” said Tony as he began snapping pictures.

Due to the open floor plan, they could see Gibbs standing near a table, questioning a man who had blood splatter on his shirt, face and also on his hands. He was obviously shaken up as he sat in a chair at the table. His voice quivered as he spoke.

Opening up his sketchpad, Tony used his pencil to point toward the window. “Shots definitely came from outside. One struck our victim; two hit the wall.”

McGee kept his voice low. “Do you think the man was hit?”

Straining his neck, Tony did his best to look around Gibbs, who seemed to be deliberately blocking the view of the victim’s body from the man he was questioning. “Doubt it. If he’d been hit, there would be an EMT team here treating him. My guess is, she was hit, and the man tried to save her or was standing nearby. We have to figure out who did the shooting. My gut says that guy isn’t our shooter.”

It wasn’t too much longer before Ducky and Jimmy arrived in the apartment with the gurney. Ducky performed his preliminary examination. Gibbs had Tony photograph the man from the apartment to get good images of the blood splatter on his clothing. 

Stepping over to the body, Gibbs stood above Ducky. “Close or far?” he asked.

Ducky eyed the broken window. “It’s a fair guess the fatal shot came through that window. There is no stippling around the wound, no powder burns. The shot came from outside of the apartment. Of that, I am certain.”

Once Tony had photographed the man from every angle, Gibbs ordered him to do a GSR test on him and then collect his clothing as evidence. Tony accompanied the man down the hallway to the bedroom.

“What is that for?” the man asked.

“It will tell us if you fired a weapon recently. Have you?”

“No. If there is any residue it was because I tried to save Cheri’s life. I tried performing CPR, but it was too late. She was already gone.”

“Sorry for the intrusion of your privacy, but I have to watch you undress, to preserve the chain of evidence. You can take a shower once I’ve bagged your clothes. I don’t have to watch you do that.”

“I just can’t believe she’s gone. Who would shoot her?”

“I’m very sorry for your loss. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Adam.”

“I’ll need your full name, for the report.”

“Chief Petty Officer Adam Marchetti.” 

“We’re going to do everything we can to find out who shot her.”

“But you can never bring her back. How can I go on without her? Cheri and I had our fights, like any other couple, but I loved her more than anything. I truly did.”

“We can’t bring her back, but we will investigate her murder, and we’ll find out who did this and bring them to justice.”

Once he had Chief Petty Officer Marchetti’s bloody clothes collected in paper evidence bags, Tony labeled them and left the room. Adam showered quickly and reappeared a few minutes later wearing clean clothing. He remained sitting at the table while the team continued collecting evidence. Eventually, Gibbs asked a police officer to transport the chief petty officer to the Navy Yard as he and Bishop were using their personal vehicles, and Tim and Tony were in the MCRT truck and transporting evidence. There was also no place for him in the autopsy van. The police officer was happy to oblige and agreed to wait with Adam until someone from Gibbs’ team could meet them in the lobby at NCIS headquarters.

“McGee, help Bishop with witness statements. DiNozzo, take the evidence to Abby. She should be there in a few minutes.”

“Did you call her?”

“You know I couldn’t leave her out or she’d spend all day pouting about it. I need her at the top of her game so we can get this case solved ASAP.”

“All over it.”

When Tony dropped off the evidence, Abby commented how tired he looked and offered the use of her futon, which he gladly accepted, even though he knew Gibbs would not be happy when he found out.

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

Gibbs took Chief Petty Officer Marchetti into an interrogation room and had him go over his statement again, responding to questions on camera, so they had a recorded backup of what he said. While Adam admitted he and Cheri fought constantly, he insisted that they truly loved each other and was adamant that he didn’t kill her.

“The shot came through the window. I heard glass shatter and I immediately dropped to the ground. I thought Cheri had done the same, but when I looked at her, I saw she’d been shot. I tried performing CPR, but there was nothing I could do. She was already gone.”

Gibbs scribbled his notes and asked several questions. “How many shots did you hear?”

“Three.”

“Are you sure?”

Adam nodded. “Positive. We both went down on the first shot, then two more followed. It was rapid fire. Not an automatic, but they came right on top of each other. Bam. Then two more, bam bam.”

“So there was more time between the first and second shots, than the second and third?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re positive Cheri was hit by the first shot?”

“Definitely. I saw her drop to the floor.” Shaking his head sadly, he added, “I saw the blood coming from the wound in her head. I knew it was bad.”

“And then they fired two more rounds?”

“I’m sure that’s how it happened, Agent Gibbs. I’ll take a lie detector test if you want me to. Whatever you need me to do. I did not kill my wife. I loved her. I wish the bullet had hit me. Cheri was an amazing woman. She didn’t deserve this.”

“But you did? Do you have reason to believe the shot was meant for you?”

Adam paused while he considered Gibbs’ question. “Okay, I’ll level with you. Some of our altercations got a little physical sometimes. I do have a temper. But not Cheri. She’s sweet and caring. Maybe someone was after me and she stepped in the way.”

“Can you think of anyone specific who might have reason to take you or Cheri out?”

“Her? No way. I’m a chief petty officer. I guarantee there is always someone in my command who is pissed off at me. But not enough to kill.”

“Are you sure about that?”

While Adam didn’t respond, he looked like he was thinking deeply about his relationships with his co-workers and wondering if one of them could be out to kill him.

When Gibbs was done questioning Adam, it was daylight and most of the NCIS staff had arrived at the office, so he arranged for the lie detector test to be administered. When it was completed, the technician stepped outside the room to speak with Gibbs. 

“He’s pretty solid, Gibbs. I’m confident that he didn’t kill his wife and did try to save her life.”

With that, Gibbs allowed Adam to go, but warned him that his apartment was an active crime scene and he was not allowed to go back there yet. “I reached out to your command. They’ll be putting you up in Navy housing for the short term. They’ve sent a master at arms to pick up some clothes and personal items from your apartment for you. We’ll get you back home as soon as possible.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Adam said dejectedly. “It’s not really a home anymore without Cheri. I’m not sure I can live there without her.”


	2. Adam and Cheri Marchetti

After Gibbs released Adam, he headed to Abby’s lab, carrying a large Caf-Pow for her. “What do you have?”

“Our victim is Petty Officer Cheri Stone- Marchetti.”

“Any family we can reach out to, other than her husband?”

“She is the daughter of former Naval Lieutenant Aleta Fairweather, now Aleta Stone, and Danny Stone, a civilian contractor.”

“Are they in DC?”

“No. They live in Charleston, South Carolina. I already sent their information to Ellie so she could contact them, hopefully before the story gets on the news.”

“Thanks, Abs. Anything else?”

“I ran the GSR test from Adam Marchetti. It’s negative. The blood from his clothes matches her type, but it will take a bit longer for the full DNA test results to confirm whether or not it is hers.”

Gibbs nodded to her, then noticed Tony on the futon. “DiNozzo! Job first, sleep later. Let’s go!”

Tony quickly rose to his feet and stretched. “Yeah, Boss. Just waiting for lab results,” he said, stretching as Gibbs waved toward the exit.

Minutes later, they arrived in autopsy. “What can you tell me, Duck?” Gibbs asked.

“She was only hit by one bullet. This poor woman was likely dead before she fell onto the floor.”

“Anything else?”

Ducky pointed to the wrists on the body. “Evidence of bruising. Not related to the shooting, I gather.”

“Her husband admitted they fought fairly often and they sometimes got physical.”

“I can’t tell you who caused the bruising, but I can tell you that someone has grabbed her by the wrists and her forearms and gripped her tightly enough to leave bruises. The discoloration indicates some of the injuries are older than others, so this appears to be ongoing abuse. If the husband didn’t do this, he must have been aware of it.”

Gibbs nodded before he and Tony left autopsy. Up in the bullpen, Bishop and McGee were both busy working on their computers as Gibbs and Tony arrived.

“What do we have? Bishop, did you reach the parents?”

Ellie stopped typing and cleared her throat lightly. “Yes. They are on their way here. They want to see her body and make a positive ID.”

“Is there anything about the parents that would have someone targeting their daughter?”

“The mother asked if it might be a hate crime. She was certain that everyone loved her daughter, and that she had no enemies.”

“Hate crime?” Gibbs asked

Ellie flashed two driver’s licenses on the big screen. “Cheri’s mother is black and her father is Irish.”

“And her husband is Italian. How long have they been married?”

“Almost three years. Adam and Cheri met through the Navy and married three months later. He is twelve years her senior.”

“Short courtship,” Gibbs noted.

Ellie clicked through her digital notes. “Adam was due to be transferred and getting married was the only way they would be guaranteed to be reassigned within a hundred miles of each other.”

“Adam said they fought. Are there any reports filed documenting physical abuse?”

“I have that,” said McGee. “There are a handful of reports denoting bruising and a sprained wrist. Cheri insisted they were accidents, falls, or from working out in the gym.”

Tony eyed the images that McGee put up on the display. “He said he was there, inside the apartment with her. The bullet came from outside. He couldn’t have done it.”

Raising his eyebrows, Gibbs asked, “Was he inside at the time of the shooting? Is it possible he was outside the apartment and shot through the window three times, killing his wife?”

“You said he passed a lie detector test, Boss. And Abby confirmed the GSR test was negative. You think he did it?”

Shaking his head, Gibbs said, “No. But we still need to check him out. Never believe what you’re told. Always double-check.”

“Rule number three, got it!”

“He could be a really good liar who put on a pair of gloves,” Gibbs suggested.

Flipping through his notes, Tim said, “Several people reported hearing the gunshots. However, no one saw Adam or Cheri on the parking lot after the shots were fired. A couple reported seeing a car leaving the lot just after hearing the gunshots.”

“Were Adam and Cheri seen earlier in the evening?”

“Yeah. I spoke to two people, Amanda and Keith Rodgers, who said they saw the couple out on the parking lot arguing several minutes earlier. Cheri appeared to be loading a suitcase into her car and Adam had grabbed her and was begging her to stay.”

“McGee, go back there. Find her car and see if her luggage is in the vehicle. DiNozzo, go with him.”

“On it, Boss.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

Under Gibbs’ orders, Bishop drove to the airport to pick up their victim’s parents and bring them to the Navy Yard. Instead of an interrogation room, she led them to one of the conference rooms upstairs where she offered them water to drink and pushed a box of Kleenex in front of Aleta. 

With shaking hands, Aleta set a photo album on the table and flipped it open, showing pictures of Cheri from a baby through her school years and including photos of Cheri in her Naval uniform. “She was a breathtaking beauty from the day she was born,” Aleta explained. “Cheri played baby Jesus at church when she was two months old. One of our parishioners is a professional photographer and said he knew an agency needing a model for baby clothing. She started as a baby and modeled through high school. Cheri could have been a model for a living, but she wanted to follow in my footsteps and serve her country,” Aleta said between her tears.

“Very commendable,” said Ellie as she flipped through the photos. “She was very beautiful.” Cheri had lighter skin than her mother’s and green eyes like her father. The images depicted how truly strikingly beautiful Cheri was.

“But now she’s dead,” Aleta wailed as her husband held her close. “My baby is dead!”

“I am so very sorry for your loss. We want to find out who did this to her. We’re going to make sure justice is served.”

Gibbs arrived and took a seat at the table. “You retired from the Navy when you got married. Cheri got married so she could be assigned with her husband. Was she planning on remaining in the Navy for her career?”

Aleta nodded and looked toward her husband. “That is true. I left the Navy to be with the man I fell in love with. Cheri did get married so she could be reassigned with Adam. I told her she was too young and she didn’t know him well enough to make that kind of a commitment. I begged her to take more time, but she insisted they were in love.”

Wanting to make the couple feel more comfortable by expressing an interest in their lives, Ellie asked Aleta and Danny how they met. Aleta began telling the story of how there was a small café right outside the Naval base in Charleston that they both enjoyed. Danny had a construction job a couple doors down from the café. One day he went to the café for lunch and there were no empty tables. 

“There were several tables with only one or two people sitting there. Out of all these tables, he approached mine and asked if he could share with me. After that day, we always sat together.”

Danny laced his fingers with his wife’s. “She was the most beautiful woman in the room, so I thought, if I have to stare into a stranger’s face, it may as well be hers.”

Aleta clutched a Kleenex tissue and dabbed her eyes occasionally. “I set my work aside and we talked.”

“She was the most interesting person I’d spoken to in a long time. Once I worked up the nerve to ask for her phone number, we arranged to meet again at the café. Sometime later, we began going to music events together and our love just blossomed.”

“And you chose to leave the Navy to get married?” asked Ellie

“I grew up in a very poor family. My parents couldn’t afford to send me to college. One day a naval recruiter came to my high school, handing out pamphlets and answering questions. Joining the Navy seemed like a great way to get an education to me. I signed up and served three tours before I met Danny. I wanted to raise a family. We got married, I earned a degree in education and became a teacher. My mother watched our children during the day, and we were together as a family nights and weekends. It was a good life.”

As he refilled her water glass, Gibbs asked, “Do you know much about Chief Petty Officer Adam Marchetti?”

Danny instantly changed his demeanor. “Only that he’s a hot-headed Italian who beat my little girl. Oh, she would give us excuses, saying that it was her fault for upsetting him, but that’s no reason.”

“And she admitted this to you? That he beat her?”

Aleta reached for another Kleenex and dabbed her eyes again. “She’d send us photos and sometimes the bruises on her arms were visible. I told her if he was beating her, she should leave him. She always insisted it wasn’t like that and was adamant that they loved each other more than anything. Cheri was convinced he’d be a good father.”

Gibbs continued to push. “We have witnesses who suggest she was trying to leave him. They said she was seen carrying a suitcase out to her car the night she was killed. Did she mention any of that to you?”

“She wanted to be a mother, raise a family. Adam wanted his career, but he agreed to an off-base apartment. Cheri wanted to buy a house. I asked her what she would do if that man harmed one of her babies. Cheri wanted a family, but we got the impression that Adam didn’t.”

Danny nodded. “We were concerned about the relationship and the abuse. We suggested she talk to someone about it.”

“They were going to counseling, off-base,” added Aleta. “She said she loved Adam and wanted their marriage to work. Danny and I thought she should leave him and find someone else who was better suited. He was quite a bit older than she was and we were concerned he was manipulating her.”

“We wanted her to find a man who wouldn’t abuse her, the way Adam did. We certainly would have supported her leaving him. We encouraged her to think about her future.”

“Do you know the name of the counselor they were seeing?” Ellie asked.

“No. I’m sorry, but we don’t. She mentioned their sessions, but never the name of the therapist.”

Ellie assured her. “We’ll find out.”

Late in the afternoon, Gibbs had Bishop drive the Stones to a hotel, then he let the team go home for the night after they completed their reports for the day.

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

The next morning, Tony and Tim searched through the Marchetti’s bills and checkbook, and found the name of the therapist they were seeing. Gibbs sent them to question the man.

When they returned to the office two hours later, Gibbs asked, “He have any insights?” 

Rounding the corner by his desk, Tony took a seat and flipped open his notebook. “Dr. Nate Founts. He appeared a bit shaken when we arrived, but said he’d already heard about Cheri’s death on the news.”

“He wouldn’t tell us much, Boss,” Tim said. “They were seeing him for marriage counseling. Apparently, Adam didn’t make it to all the sessions. Dr. Founts suggested that Adam didn’t seem to want the same things as Cheri, and said he’d offered her some pamphlets on abusive spouses, women’s shelters and how to leave an abusive relationship.”

“Get Chief Petty Officer Marchetti back in here. I’d like to talk to him again.”

An hour later, Tony brought Adam back into interrogation and sat in on the session, as Gibbs took the helm.

“Witnesses seem to think Cheri was moving out,” Gibbs began.

“I told you, we do fight. We argued. She was upset and said she was going to a hotel. I told her that was a waste of money and she should stay at the apartment. I even offered to sleep on the couch for the night.”

Pushing a handful of photos in front of Adam, Gibbs continued, “She had bruises from where you’d grabbed her arms and wrists.”

“I was trying to stop her from leaving, yes. But I did not kill her. I loved her.”

“I don’t think she was leaving for the night. I think she was packing up and leaving you for good,” Gibbs said forcefully.

“That’s not true. Yes, we fought often, but we always made up.”

“Dr. Founts seemed to think she was trying to get away from you permanently.”

“Well, he’s wrong. Our relationship was solid,” Adam insisted. “Our marriage was solid.”

“Dr. Founts said Cheri was more committed to marriage counseling than you were. He said you missed several sessions.”

“Just a couple. I worked all day long and didn’t feel like arguing in front of a shrink. We were doing fine on our own.”

Gibbs flipped through some notes. “I don’t think you were fine on your own. Cheri didn’t think so either. Why else would she insist on marriage counseling?” 

“I’m sure it was her parents’ idea. They never liked me. They didn’t understand our relationship.”

A quick tap on the door drew everyone’s attention. Tony stood up and opened the door to reveal Ducky standing on the other side, holding a file. 

“Forgive the interruption. Jethro, I think you will want to hear this.”

Pushing back from the table, Gibbs gathered the photos and files, tucked them under his arm and stepped outside the room, closing the door behind him. “What, Ducky?”

“I’ve discovered that the young lady was pregnant.”

“Pregnant? How far along?”

“About ten weeks.”

“Thanks, Duck.”

Stepping back into the interrogation room, Gibbs glared at Adam. “Did you know your wife was pregnant?”

“Yeah, of course. Cheri always wanted a family.”

“Did you? Her parents seem to think that was a point of contention between the two of you; that she wanted children and you did not.”

Adam stood up so fast that his chair tipped over. “They’re wrong!” he yelled.

“Sit down!” Gibbs shouted back. 

“Okay, it’s true I thought we should wait, but we both wanted a family. You’re barking up the wrong tree, Agent Gibbs. I did not kill my wife. I took a lie detector test and I’m sure I passed. What more do you want from me?”

“Nothing for now,” Gibbs said calmly. “You’re free to return to your base.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

And then it happened again. Gibbs’ phone rang shortly after midnight. 

“No,” groaned Tony. “Don’t tell me there’s another case? When are we supposed to sleep?”

Grabbing his phone, Gibbs answered and muttered into it. When he hung up, he stood up. “Yeah, another petty officer shot and killed. Let’s roll, Skippy.”


	3. Ed and Susanna Ross

It was déjà vu all over again. Gibbs sent Tony back to the Navy Yard to pick up the MCRT truck. Tim met him on the lot bearing coffee.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” Tony mumbled as he locked up his personal car and accepted the cup of coffee.

The crime scene appeared similar. Although it was a different apartment complex, there was still a heavy police presence, and there were the standard neighborhood gawkers milling about beyond the crime scene tape. 

It was also a ground floor apartment, although it was in the middle of the hallway, rather than an end unit like Adam and Cheri had. Like before, Tony and Tim pulled the gear from the back of the MCRT truck and walked toward the building. With a flash of their badges, they were allowed inside the apartment.

“What do we have, Boss?” Tony asked.

“Dead petty officer,” Gibbs replied, motioning toward a body as Bishop was speaking with a sobbing blonde-haired woman a few feet away. Turning, he ordered, “Bishop, arrange transport to take her to the Navy Yard for questioning. Be sure to get photos.”

As soon as Ellie had removed the weeping woman from the apartment, Gibbs visibly relaxed.

“Tougher than the last case?” asked Tony.

Gibbs was standing over the body of a man. “Hard to concentrate with a crying woman in the same room. Tony sketch and shoot. Tim bag and tag.”

“And be glad you weren’t saddled with the crying lady,” Tony muttered as he began snapping photos.

Pulling out his fingerprint ID machine, Tim pressed the body’s index finger against the scanner and waited for the identification before announcing, “Petty Officer Edward Ross.”

Gibbs squatted near the head of their victim, then looked to the window, which had a bullet hole through it. “Shot came from outside.”

Tony eyed the walls beyond their victim. “But only one shot. No extra bullet holes in the wall this time. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That Adam Marchetti is one lucky son-of-a-bitch?”

“How’s that? You think the cases are connected?” Tim asked as he gathered glass shards from below the broken window.

“Only one shot here. The killer hit his target,” said Tony. “At the Marchetti apartment, there were two extra shots because he missed Adam.”

Using a pencil, Gibbs pointed at the bullet hole in the man’s chest. “If Adam was the target and Cheri walked in front of him…”

Tony nodded. “Right. If Cheri Marchetti’s killer had been aiming at Adam’s heart, as this wound suggests, and Cheri got in the way, it would have hit her in the head, like it did. If this is the same killer, it appears that Adam was indeed the target.”

Turning to McGee, Gibbs said, “When you get back to the Navy Yard, search this couples’ background. I want to know if there were any reports of abuse.”

“On it, Boss. You think that’s the connection?”

“Not sure. But this woman also appears to have bruises, just like Cheri did.” 

After Tony finished with the photos, and Ducky and Jimmy arrived, they loaded the body onto a gurney and moved him out to the autopsy van for transport. Gibbs called Abby and told her to get on the ballistics test as soon as Ducky sent up the bullet.

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

Gibbs called Bishop when he returned to the Navy Yard and asked if the dead man’s wife had calmed down any. Ellie advised the woman was still upset, but was no longer sobbing uncontrollably. He motioned for Tony to join him for the interview.

The pair questioned the woman for over two hours and learned that she was a waitress, and had been married to Petty Officer Ed Ross for four years. Everything was great in the beginning, but she wanted to have children and wanted to live off-base. She insisted it was the stress of money issues that would upset Ed. He wasn’t normally abusive, but after he’d had a few drinks, his personality would change. Despite the abuse, she loved him and insisted he treated her well when he wasn’t drinking. 

After they released her, with a warning that she couldn’t return to her apartment, she let them know she had a sister in town she could stay with. When Tony pushed a pad of paper her way, she scribbled down her sister’s name, phone number and address. Tony said they’d reach out with any additional questions, and then had Agent Sanders escort Susanna to the front of the building so her sister could pick her up.

As he exited the elevator, Tony said, “So we have a serial killer taking out abusive Navy husbands?”

“Could be,” Gibbs replied as they entered autopsy. “What do you have for us, Duck?”

“This lad has a severed aorta. He bled out quickly.”

“Shot came from outside the apartment, through the window?”

“Definitely. The shooter had to have been several yards away. I’ve sent the slug up to Abby, but it appeared rather similar to the bullet that killed Cheri Marchetti, at least to the naked eye.”

Leaning close, Gibbs inspected the wound. “The killer only shot once this time. In the Marchetti murder, he fired three times.”

“And you believe there is a significance?” Ducky asked.

“I think Adam Marchetti was the intended victim.”

“Really?”

Stepping forward, Tony said, “We believe the murderer fired at Adam. Maybe he was holding Cheri’s wrist and pulled her in front of him. Maybe she walked in front of him herself. We think the killer saw that he missed Adam and hit Cheri instead, and fired two more shots in frustration.”

“That is an interesting conjecture.” 

Jimmy looked between Tony, Gibbs and Ducky. “Cheri Marchetti was shot in the head because she’s shorter than her husband. The murderer was aiming for Adam’s heart, and caught Cheri in the head instead?”

“Yeah, we think so.”

“What’s the connection between Chief Petty Officer Marchetti and Petty Officer Ed Ross?” Jimmy posed the question as more of an afterthought.

Gibbs looked over to Tony. “Find out if there is any connection through the Navy. I want to know if they went through training together or if they served together.”

“I’ll get McGee right on that,” said Tony as he started for the door.

“Hey!” Gibbs called. “I asked _you_ to do it, DiNozzo.”

“That’s what I meant. I’ll get right on that computer search thingy.”

“Just do it.”

Gibbs’ next stop was Abby’s lab, where she informed him that both Cheri Marchetti and Ed Ross were killed with 9MM bullets that were fired from the same weapon. After a quick kiss to her cheek, he left the lab, heading outside as he made a quick call to Bishop.

A few minutes later, Gibbs returned to the bullpen carrying a fresh cup of coffee. “McGee! What did you find out?”

Grabbing the remote, Tim put a few shots up on the big screen monitor. “Susanna Ross has been photographed with bruises, but claimed they were accidents or misunderstandings.”

“Sounds familiar. DiNozzo, any connection?”

“I haven’t found anything yet. Marchetti has been in the service fifteen years, he was twelve years older than his wife, who has served for five years, they’ve been married for three years. Petty Officer Ed Ross has served three and a half years. His wife is a waitress and they have been married for four years. No schools or colleges in common. Here’s something though. Adam Marchetti said he and Cheri largely fought about money. Susanna Ross said she and Ed mostly fought about money.”

Facing Bishop, Gibbs said, “Find anything?”

“Adam Marchetti has a registered Glock and Ed Ross has a registered Ruger. According to Abby, either weapon could have fired the fatal shots.”

“Find me those weapons and get them up to Abby. Bishop, you talk to Mrs. Ross, ask her where the Ruger is. DiNozzo, talk to Adam Marchetti, bring me that Glock. McGee, find out everything you can. See if Susanna Ross was ever trained to fire that weapon. Find out who their friends are and if they are any relatives in the area that might have had a reason to take these guys out.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

With direction from Susanna, Ellie located the Ross’ weapon, and retrieved it for Abby. The test-firing showed their gun was not the murder weapon. 

McGee reported to Gibbs that he found no motive amongst the victims’ families and friends. While Susanna had been trained to use the weapon, her GSR test also came back negative.

DiNozzo called in that Adam didn’t know where the weapon was. “Sorry, Boss. He said Cheri was afraid to have it in their apartment because their recent fighting seemed to be escalating. Apparently, she handed it over to someone for safekeeping.”

“Find me that weapon, DiNozzo. Call every name in her phone book. See if there is a bank safety deposit box on record.”

“That’s a negative on the bank box, Boss. I already checked. Could it be with one of Adam’s friends?”

“He said she got rid of it. She has no relatives in the area. It has to be with one of her friends or co-workers,” Gibbs reasoned.

“And she’s also dead and can’t dispute anything Adam says.”

“Good point, Tony. Just locate the weapon. It has to be somewhere. Talk to her friends. See if she left a diary. Adam really has no idea?”

“That’s what he said.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

After a long day on the job, Tony and Gibbs stopped off for at a bar after work and ordered takeout from the pizzeria next door. While they chatted, Tony half-watched a baseball game on the television set behind the bar. The case was spinning in both of their minds, as they each tried to figure out the connection they both knew had to be there.

Back at the house, they each had a beer with the pizza. Halfway through the meal, Tony had a thought. “I wonder if Ed and Susanna went for counseling.”

“They were both married to abusive husbands.”

Tony finished one slice of pizza and reached for another. “Maybe Susanna was talking about leaving Ed.”

“It doesn’t make sense though,” Gibbs said thoughtfully.

“What’s that?”

“If they were leaving their abusive husbands, then it’s problem solved. The women are moving away from the danger so why kill the men?”

“Because they were trying to stop their wives from leaving? I have Susanna Ross’ number,” said Tony.

“Call her.”

Setting down his half-eaten piece of pizza, Tony found his small notebook and flipped through the pages. The call didn’t take long. 

Gibbs could tell Tony had stumbled across something interesting. “Don’t tell me the wives were planning to move in together?”

“No, it’s not that. Susanna wasn’t planning to leave Ed.”

“So, no connection there?”

Tony was grinning from ear to ear. “Ed and Susanna were in counseling.”

“Tomorrow, I want you to talk to their counselor. I don’t suppose you got a name?”

“Yes, I did in fact get a name. Dr. Nate Founts. He has to be the key to this.”

Nearly choking on his beer, Gibbs grabbed his napkin and cleared his throat. “Both couples were seeing the same shrink? I want to talk to this guy. Tonight, DiNozzo! I do not want to be woken up tomorrow morning by a call to investigate another murder. This stops now!”

Shoving the rest of a slice of pizza into his mouth, Tony nodded and grabbed his keys and wallet.

As they left the house, Gibbs grabbed Tony’s car keys out of his hands. “I’m driving. Call McGee and get us a location. Have him ping Dr. Founts’ cell phone.”

A few minutes later, Tim gave them an address which Tony relayed to Gibbs. The tires squealed on the pavement as Gibbs raced through the streets. Tony had written down the make and model of Founts’ car, along with the plate. When they approached the address Tim had provided, Gibbs slowed down so they could try to identify Founts’ vehicle.

“This is nowhere near his home address, Boss. No bars or restaurants in the neighborhood, just apartments.”

“He’s our killer.”

“Founts?”

Gibbs narrowed his eyes as he searched for any movement in the area. “I think so.”

“Why?”

“My gut.”

“Why would he kill these guys?”

“Maybe he’s heard enough in counseling and decided the abusive husbands had to go. See if McGee and hack into some database and get a list of his clients. I want to know if any of them live in this apartment complex.”

While Tony was on the phone with Tim, Gibbs spotted Founts’ car with the doctor sitting behind the wheel. After stopping, Gibbs got out slowly, his eyes fixed on Founts. With his gun drawn, he approached quietly. Tapping on the driver’s window, he shouted, “Get out, Founts!”

Instead of getting out, Founts showed his surprise at seeing Gibbs, quickly started his car and pulled away from the curb. Gibbs fired two shots and took the nearest tire, along with the rear windshield. Tony had moved over to the driver’s seat in his own car and raced ahead of Dr. Founts, cutting off his escape.

When they pulled him out of the car, they found the Glock. 

“Did you get that from Cheri Marchetti?” Tony asked as he put Founts in cuffs. “The gun is registered, so we’ll find out anyway.”

“Yes, she gave it to me. Her husband was hot-headed. She was afraid Adam might shoot her.”

“And then you killed her with the gun she gave you?”

Dr. Founts tried to turn around, but Tony held him fast against the hood of his vehicle. “No, it’s not like that. I wasn’t trying to shoot her.”

“Yeah,” said Gibbs. “You were trying to kill Adam.”

Putting his head down on the hood of the car, Founts sighed heavily. “You don’t understand. I loved her. I _loved_ her. I couldn’t stand the way he treated her. She was a rare and unique beauty and deserved the world.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

When they brought him into interrogation, they pushed for more of the story. “What about Ed and Susanna Ross?” Tony asked.

Founts shook his head. “I couldn’t believe Cheri stepped in front of Adam right when I fired the weapon. It happened so fast. I was going to save her from him and she wound up dead. Because of me.”

“How did the other couple fit in?” shouted Gibbs.

“I knew you’d come asking questions. I was afraid you’d find out that I was involved. I thought I could make it look like Adam was a victim of a serial killer. Ed gets very abusive when he drinks. So did Adam. It’s not like I was killing innocent people.”

“Hey! That’s not your call,” Gibbs yelled. “You have the wives call the authorities; you don’t take matters into your own hands!”

“And who were you aiming for tonight?” asked Tony. “Another one of your clients?

“No. I figured I made a mistake. I was afraid you would connect me to both couples. I was talking to one of my colleagues and got a name from a similar case he was working on. I thought it would look like a serial killer taking out abusive husbands.”

Tony finished his notes and closed the file. “I have news for you. You are a serial killer trying to take out abusive husbands. Looks like you’re one for three. Not the greatest record. You should have stuck with counseling.” 

“No, I’m not a killer. I help people!” Dr. Founts protested.

“Two people are dead. You pulled the trigger,” said Gibbs, pointing at him. “Maybe you can find someone to counsel in prison.”

~~~§§§§§§~~~*** ~~~§§§§§§~~~ ***~~~§§§§§§~~~

An hour later, Gibbs and Tony were back home watching an old western. “What about us?” Tony asked. “Do you think we’d ever need to see a counselor?”

Gibbs wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulder. “No, I think we’re good.”

~END~  
07/14/2020

© 2020 by Jacie


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